First Snow
by primelimes
Summary: "We might get the first snow tonight," Lily said looking upwards, "the clouds have been gathering all day." The premature twilight of early winter was already falling as James and Lily made their way into Hogsmeade. Oneshot L/J


"We might get the first snow tonight," Lily said looking upwards, "the clouds have been gathering all day." The premature twilight of early winter was already falling as James and Lily made their way into Hogsmeade. With one thing and another, the Head Boy and Girl had been caught up in the castle most of the day, but they were determined to get down to the village at least for a little while. Their courtship was still new enough that the idea of a date in Hogsmeade still held some sense of special significance, and the idea of skipping it entirely seemed somewhat more apathetic than their recently transformed relationship allowed for. Nevertheless, it seemed too late for shopping or tea, so the couple merely wandered hand in hand down the main road, comfortably silent as they observed the people and shop windows.

James was considering asking Lily if she'd like a bite to eat when she stopped abruptly outside the window of Potage's Cauldron Shop and made a small, interested noise as she nodded towards the display's central cauldron which, as far as James could tell, looked exactly like the ones on either side. "They've got Oliphant's new coated cast-iron in!" From the slight tone of longing in her voice, James deduced that this was something significant.

"Yeah…brilliant, that…coating."

Lily glanced at him, eyebrows raised, before cracking a smile and turning back to the window. "No, it really is. It's completely non-reactive. You can brew a whole slew of things in there that you couldn't in traditional cast iron. I mean, you'd still have to brew things in specific cauldrons if the cauldron material is intended to add something particular to the mix, but these will cut out the need to_avoid _pot-potion interactions, you know?" James really didn't, but Lily didn't seem to notice. "They're going to _completely _revolutionize home brewing." She tapped a gloved finger to the window twice before sighing and turning away towards James. "A bit chilly. Want to get a drink or something?"

James tilted his head, amused. "You're not going to get one? After you practically salivated over them? I mean, it's not exactly the new Cleansweep, but to each his own."

Lily shrugged. "Not a chance. They're going to cost a fortune until they've been around for a few years. I'm fine with my Bentham's Standard for now."

"Nah, come on, I'll get you one. They'll even deliver it to the castle so we don't have to lug it around."

"No, that's alright," Lily shook her head and stepped away from the window, "you don't have to do that."

"It's fine. I want to."

"No, thank you, but no," Lily spoke more firmly now. "I'd rather you didn't." She started walking again, and James automatically hastened to catch up with her.

"I—" the vague, pleased feeling James had been experiencing at the idea of getting Lily something she clearly liked so much faded, and the silence quickly grew uncomfortable and heavy as they continued on. "It's not – you know I didn't – it's not a big deal. I mean, I've kind of got more money than I know what to do with," James attempted a sort of self-deprecating chuckle. "I might as well buy something useful, yeah?" He examined Lily's face anxiously, and his spirits sank even further at the closed, uneasy expression he saw there, and he found himself trying even more urgently to fix whatever he had just mucked up. "I mean, it's not – I'm not trying to…to buy your affection or anything, I just –"

"No, no, I know you don't think of it like that, or mean anything by it, really," Lily cut in, her face a bit flushed now. It's more like –," she paused, frustrated, as she tried to get her thoughts in order. "It's more like this," she turned to him as she came to a stop. "I'm better at charms than you."

James raised a brow at her bluntness. "Well…yeah, I know, but what –"

"Actually, I'm much better at charms. You're sort of rubbish, and I'm really rather good. So I could just do all your charms for you. Logically, it almost makes more sense. I'm better at them, and it's no trouble for me to do them, and the results would likely be better, right?" James opened his mouth to answer, but Lily hurried to continue, pulling her hands out of her pockets to gesture, as he knew she was wont to do when she was struggling to make a particular point. "But wouldn't it be…better, or more comfortable for you, or whatever, if you just do your own charms as best you can, and if you can't manage, sometimes you need to improvise or do something by hand without magic, and just know I could always do a charm or two for you if you're ever really in a bind? Is that…d'you know…what I mean?"

James looked at her, her fuzzy-gloved hands still suspended mid-gesture as she looked at him expectantly, and the first few flakes of snow materialized in the dusky light to wind their way down to catch in her hair. She tilted her head, curling her fingers in and smiling wryly, "Do _I_ even know what I mean? Maybe that metaphor got away from me."

James shook his head, "No, yeah, I get that." He took one of her loosely clenched hands in his as he turned them both to continue walking.

"You have enough resources to carry the whole lot of us if you wanted, even with Sirius's apparently completely mistaken grasp of how money even works" she said, falling easily in step, "but I'd rather carry myself as long as I can."

James said nothing, but squeezed her hand more tightly as the few hesitant snowflakes slowly thickened into an earnest flurry, catching in the light of the street lamps as they came upon the Three Broomsticks. He tried not to think of the _Daily Prophet, _the first to just come out and admit that they were no longer even accepting job applications from Muggle-borns. _It's only a bleeding third date. Don't even go there—you know she's just saying you'd support your friends. For Merlin's sake, keep it simple._ "You'll always be able carry yourself just fine, we both know that. Just so long as you know you can ask for help if you need it." The silence was still a bit strained, but her hand had relaxed into his. He smirked a little as he glanced sideways at her, "So…a new cauldron is out of bounds, no more arguments from me. Any chance I could still buy you a butterbeer?" Her small, rather relieved laugh was answer enough for him, and James reached to open the pub's door, turning back to grin at her as the light and noise flooded out, "And I'm not _that _bad at charms…"


End file.
